21: Universe

July 1, 2015

And at the end of her journey, the fool thinks that she encompasses the whole world. See? She wears it on her dress, four colors for the four elements of earth air water fire, the four corners of the globe, the four points of the stone. Name a four and she embodies it. And remember that Fours are not stable, that they are, at best, stopping points to catch your breath. But look at her dress through other eyes. It’s only a step away from checkerboards, from motley. When her common sense stops curling around her head, she’ll find another cliff and fall off of it; the cycle never ends until, abruptly, it does. And it won’t end here, either.

She’s been around the world and she thinks it means something. Maybe it does. Does she know about the camera watching her? It’s been with her the whole journey. What happened to the other one? Alone in a white void, she walks her shadow – or does she dance with it? She’ll find a new world to explore soon enough. Whole new vistas to be ignorant of, whole new sets of raw experience to project the same old symbols upon. Fool comes out of the void, brings the universe back to it. Is the void richer each time? Go on, try to make sure it will be when you finish your journey; what are you carving onto the universe with this go-round?

Journey’s over, the pattern’s been walked, what have you learnt? what have you taught? What was the story you trailed behind you? Time to run the race again, the long vast tumbling Fall; try a different route this time? A different metaphor, a different narrative? Walk awhile with your thoughts blazing from your head, and reflect upon the story so far. Write the next chapter.